REVIEW – In today’s digital age, I find myself frequently using my computer, phone, or tablet for note-taking and information storage. While I have made a conscious effort to transition away from physical paperwork, there are instances when I require quick note-taking of essential information, such as phone numbers or confirmation codes. Usually, I would resort to finding a scrap piece of paper, jotting down the information, and then attempting to preserve it before manually capturing it digitally. This process often involves unnecessary waste and a lack of efficiency. With the intention of eliminating this waste while simultaneously enhancing the capture and storage of this type of information, I eagerly asked to review the Rocketbook Reusable Sticky Notes. I’ll share my experiences and insights on how the Rocketbook Reusable Sticky Notes have worked for me.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $43.99 (Starter Kit + Expansion Pack)
Where to buy: Amazon
What is it?
The Rocketbook Sticky Notes are a reusable and app enabled version of the popular Post-It Notes. Each Sticky Notes measures 3in X 3in and comes in a variety of colorful borders.
What’s included?
- Starter Kit
- Pilot FriXion roller ball pen (compatible with any Pilot FriXion pen)
- Sticky Notes X 18 (Black border)
- Storage case
- Cleaning towel
- User manual
- Expansion Pack (separate packaging)
- Blue border X 4
- Green border X 4
- Orange border X 4
- Red border X 4
- User manual
Tech specs
- Adhesive strip sticks to:
- Plastic
- Glass
- Whiteboard
- Monitor
- Metal
- Tile
- Rocketbook paper
- Smooth surfaces
- Write with a Pilot FriXion pen
- Scan a single or multiple Sticky Notes using the Rocketbook App (Free)
- Reuse by dampening part of the cleaning towel and wipe away the Sticky Note
Design and features
The Rocketbook Reusable Sticky Notes are a twist on the ever popular Post-It Notes that are used usually to scribble spur of the moment ideas. Most times I find scrap paper or the back of a letter, blank space on pieces of junk mail, or whatever surface that a pen or pencil will write on. Admittedly, most of the time this information is temporary and I end up throwing the paper away or dropping it in the shred pile.
The process of using the Rocketbook Reusable Sticky Notes is straightforward.
Use the included Pilot FriXion pen to jot down anything on the 3×3 squares. A pen comes with the Starter Kit but any Pilot FriXion pen can be used. Included in the Starter Kit are 18 white paper squares with black borders. The paper material is slightly thicker than a normal sheet of printer paper and feels smooth. While wiping notes clean, it did not feel like the paper would tear or rip. On the back of each note is a sticky strip that can be peeled away. I found that the adhesive was a lot stronger than on normal Post-It notes. I was able to stick Rocketbook Reusable Sticky Notes to any smooth surface and they didn’t fall off. If the adhesive does become less sticky, it can rinsed under water to restore the stickiness. After writing on the note, it did not smear and the erasing process noted below was the only way to remove the writing.
If needed, scan the notes into the free Rocketbook app (iOS) (Android) by opening the app, tapping the ‘New Scan’ icon in the bottom middle of the screen. When first configuring the app, you’ll be asked what destination you would like to use to store the notes. I chose iCloud so that all my notes would be accessible from any of my Apple devices. In my case, a Rocketbook folder was created at the root level of my iCloud Drive folder. On my phone where I have the Rocketbook app installed, I view my notes through the app. The app is necessary to add tags, rename the notes, etc. But on my iPad, in the Rocketbook folder, my notes show up as a PDF. There is also an option to send notes via email as well. By default, all notes are searchable using OCR. I found the search results were very accurate, but I guess that would depend on the legibility of your handwriting. You can also capture multiple notes at the same time.
After either capturing the note in the app or deciding to discard the note, dampen a small section of the included cleaning mini towel with water, and gently wipe away all the writing on the note. If the note is still a little wet, wipe the excess moisture off with the dry portion of the towel. Now the Rocketbook Reusable Sticky Note is good as new and ready to be used again. Another option would be to use a small spray bottle that would mist the paper and then use the towel to wipe it clean.
I do want to point out a missed opportunity. I like the different colored borders, but there doesn’t seem to be any type of app automation associated with the different colors. When capturing notes into the app, the border color is not captured. It seems that the colors are only useful for the physical notes. There are QR codes on the bottom right corner of each note. This is to “ help the Rocketbook app ‘find’ the page during the scan process. The data that the app retrieves from the QR code includes page size and the version of the notebook”. If the QR code could also embed the border color, then possible actions with the app can be implemented. For instance, all notes with a red border could automatically organized into their own folders. Or if the border color was blue, it would email the PDF to a work account. I see value in taking the app functionality up a notch for sorting, organizing, or classifying.
Final thoughts
I tend to overthink things and am always creating lists to compare values, pros and cons, and other research information. Sometimes, I just need to write down a quick thought or idea without having to open up my device. Notes are notes and paper is paper. But what makes the Rocketbook Reusable Sticky Notes different from scribbling on a piece of paper, taking a picture, and storing it on your phone? A few things actually.
First, the note paper is reusable. It almost has a vinyl texture to it and seems to be strong enough to not rip or tear after repeated cleanings.
Next, would be the Rocketbook app. The dots on the note paper and the QR code help the app capture clean and accurate representations of what is written. I have used the scan feature in the Apple Notes app and I will periodically get skewed pages or extra bits of information in the capture. Everything that was written with the Rocketbook Reusable Sticky Notes, came into the app perfectly.
For most of my use cases, just being able to wipe the Rocketbook Reusable Sticky Note clean and use it over and over is a big win for me!
What I like about The Rocketbook Reusable Sticky Notes
- Reusable, no more wasting paper
- Archivable and searchable through the App
- Case closes securely and can tossed in a bag keeping the Sticky Notes together
What needs to be improved?
- No cons, just will need to see how many times a note can be reused before it’s no longer useable
Price: $43.99 (Starter Kit + Expansion Pack)
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Rocketbook. Rocketbook did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
Check out these other reviews!
- Baronfig Guardian Pro Notebook & Pen Case and Squire Click Ballpoint Pen review – Protect and jot your ideas in minimalist style
- Rocketbook Everyday Planner review
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